Trash cutter for a pump



July 9, 1963 R. N. ANDERSON TRASH CUTTER FOR A PUMP Filed Dec. 12, 1961 United States Patent 3,096,718 TRASH CUTTER FOR A PUMP Roy N. Anderson, Clovis, N. Mex., assignor to Collard Keuner and Walter C. Ewers Filed Dec. 12, 1961, Ser. No. 158,801 1 Claim. (Cl. 103-111) The present invention relates to a pump such as a centrifugal pump, and more particularly to a trash cutter or chopper for such a pump.

An object of the present invention is to provide a trash cutter or chopper which is adapted to be used in conjunc- -l'on with a pump whereby foreign matter or the like will be effectively chopped up or cut up before it enters the interior of the pump so as to prevent such matter from clogging up the pump.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a trash cutter and chopper for a pump, wherein the trash cutter \or chopper includes a stationary plate that is provided with a cutting blade that is adapted to coact with a rotary impeller of the pump in order to insure that the material entering the pump will be cut up or chopped up so that damage to the pump as well as clogging up of the pump will be prevented.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a trash cutter for a pump which is economical to manufacture and efiicient in operation and which is rugged in structure and foolproof in use.

Further objects and advantages are to provide improved elements and arrangements thereof in a device of the character described that is economical to produce, durable in form, and conducive to the most economical use of materials and uniformity of members formed therefrom.

Still further objects and advantages will become apparent in the subsequent description in the specification.

In the drawings:

I FIGURE 1 is an elevational view illustrating a pump that is equipped or provided with the trash cutter of the present invention, and with parts broken away and in section.

FIGURE 2 is a sectional view taken on the line 22 of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 3 is a sectional view taken on the line 33 of FIGURE 2.

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary plan View illustrating the trash cutter per se.

FIGURE 5 is a perspective view of the trash cutter per se.

Referring in detail to the drawings, the numeral indicates a portion of a pump such as a centrifugal pump, and the pump 10 includes a body portion 11 which has a lower base portion 12 that is adapted to be secured to a supporting structure as for example by means of securing elements 13. The body portion 11 further includes upper bearing portions 14, and the numeral 15 indicates a shaft which is rotatably supported in the bearing portions 14. A pulley 16 is connected to an end of the shaft 15, and the pulley 16 is adapted to be driven by a suitable power source, as for example by means of an endless belt 17 which is arranged in engagement with the pulley 16.

The numeral 18 indicates a casing or housing that is secured to or formed integral with the body portion 11, FIGURE 1, and the casing 18 has a hollow interior wherein there is defined an air chamber which is indicated generally by the numeral 23, and the numeral 19 indicates an impeller, and the impeller 19 is rotatably mounted in the chamber 23. The impeller 19 is shown to include a hub 20 which is suitably keyed or connected to the shait 15, and the impeller 19 further includes a plurality of radially disposed vanes or blades 21, and the vanes 21 cutter 28 includes a circular plate 29 that is interposed between the end member 24 in the casing 18, and the plate 29 is provided with a plurality of spaced apart apertures or openings 31) therein for the projection therethrough of the bolts or securing elements 25. The plate 29 is further provided with an enlarged central opening 31, and the numeral 32 indicates a blade that is secured to or formed integral with the inner portion of the plate 29, and as shown in the drawings, with the parts assembled as shown in FIGURE 1, the blade 32 is arranged contiguous to the recess portions 22 of the vanes 21. As shown in FIGURE 3, the blade 32 is generally triangular in cross section and is conformably shaped to the curved edges of the cutaway portions of the blades, and wherein the blade 32 is provided with a sharpened edge as indicated by the numeral 33. The numeral 34 indicates an outlet conduit which is connected to the casing 18, and the outlet conduit 34 communicates with the chamber 23.

From the foregoing, it is apparent that there has been provided a trash cutter for a pump such as a centrifugal pump, and in use with the parts arranged as shown in the drawings, it will be seen that the material being pumped is adapted to be supplied from a suitable source of supply through the conduit 27, land this material which may be a fluid having solid particles of material therein, is such that the incoming material from the conduit 27 flows through a center opening in the member 24 and then passes through the center opening 31 in the plate 28 and the rotating impeller 19 causes the material to be subsequently pumped out through the \outlet conduit 34 to a suitable location. The impeller 19 can be driven or rotated in any suitable manner, as for example the impeller 19 can be driven from the shaft 15 which has the pulley 16 thereon, and the pulley 16 can be driven from a suitable power source as for example by means of a belt 17.

The impeller 19 rotates in the chamber 23, and the impeller v19 includes the plurality of radially disposed blades or vanes 21, and these vanes 21 are each provided with an inwardly recessed portion 22, whereby with the plate 29 interposed between the member 24 and the casing 13, as for example [as shown in FIGURE 1, it will be seen that the blade 32 will be contiguous to the recessed portion 22. The plate 29 is held in place by means of the bolts or securing elements 25 which extend through the apertures 30 in the plate 29, and the opening 31 permits the incoming material firom the conduit 27 to be engaged and acted on by the rotating impeller 19. The blade 3-2 is offset, as for example relative to the plane of the plate 29, as shown in FJGURE 1, so that the blade 32 is contiguous to the recessed portions 22 of the vanes 21, and the sharpened cutting edge 33 is arranged adjacent or contiguous to the edge portions of the vanes 21 so that the desired or necessary chopping or cutting action will take place between the vanes 21 and blade 32. The plate 29 is stationary, and consequently the integral blade 32 is likewise stationary or atfixed in place, while the vanes 21 of the impeller 19 rotate in the chamber 23 so that the solid particles or foreign matter entering the pump will be chopped up or cut up due to the interaction between the blade 32 and the vanes 21. Thus, such foreign matter or solid particles will not clog up the pump or otherwise interfere with the operation of the pump so that the pump can function and operate with efi'iciency and wherein damage or breakage to the moving parts will be prevented.

The parts can be made of any suitable material and in diifenent shapes or sizes.

It is to be noted that according to the present invention there has been provided "a trash cutter which includes a cutting element or blade 32 that is carried by the plate 29, and wherein the plate can be readily attached to the pump body or casing, and wherein the cutting element 32 is adapted to cooperate with the blades 2-1 of the pump in order to shear any material which would not ordinarily pass between the stationary cutter elements 32 and the blades of the pump.

The trash cutter f the present invention is especially suitablefor use in connection with centrifugal pumps as :Eo-r example where there is likelihood of a lot of trash, weeds, roots and the like in waterbeing pumped or circulated. The trash cutter is placed on the suction side of the pump near the impeller so that any approaching trash is chopped up in order to insure that the trash will go right through the pump instead of becoming lodged on the impeller and shutting oil the flow of Water trom the pump. The present invention is adaptable to different sizes and types of impeller pumps.

Thus, it will be seen that according to the present invention there has been provided a trash cutter for use with a centrifugal pump, and wherein the trash cutter will serve to keep trash and foreign matter from entering the pump with the Water so that the impeller on the intake of the pump will not become sealed or clogged to cut off flow of water into the pump. The trash cutter serves to cut the trash to such an extent that the trash can pass through the pump Without clogging the pump. The trash cutter is especially suitable for use in connection with pumps used for irrigation purposes. The cutter of the present invention can work with different types of pumps and the present invention is not restricted to any particular type of pump.

The trash cutter blade is adapted to set quite close to the impeller blades, and for example the blade 32 is adapted to be arranged within lone-sixteenth of an inch from the impeller vanes. The sharpened edge 33 on the blade 32 helps insure that the trash will be cut or chopped in the most eificient and advantageous manner.

Although the invention herein described is fully capable of achieving the objects and providing the advantages heneinbefore mentioned, it is to be understood that it is merely illustrative of the presently preferred embodiment of the invention, and that it is not to be limited to the details of construction herein described other than as de fined in the appended claim.

What is claimed is:

In a pump including a hollow housing having an open end, a shaft rotatable in said housing, an impeller on said shaft, and said impeller having a plurality of radial-1y arranged blades each provided with a concavely curved edge portion adjacent said shaft, said blade edge portions facing the open end of said housing, an end member positioned adjacent to and spaced from the open end of said housing and being provided with an opening in registry with said blade edge portions, an annular plate disposed in the space between said member and said housing, and a cutting blade projecting radially inwardly from the innor periphery of said plate on the side of the latter facing said housing and being disposed contiguous to and in coacting relation with the edge portions of each of said blades in turn upon rotation of said shaft, said blade being conformably shaped to said blade edge portions.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,156,063 Daniel Oct. 12, 1915 1,262,422 Wood Apr. 9, 1918 1,556,771 Dupcnt Oct. 13, 1925 1,754,454 H-argis Nov. 12, 1929 1,909,052 Froisland May 16, 1933 2,245,035 Hartman June 10, 1941 2,975,714 Nechine Mar. 21, 1961 FOREIGN PATENTS 240,859 Germany Nov. 18, 1911 318,031 Germany Jan. 24, 1920 780,554 France Feb. 4, 1935 899,123 France July 31, 1944 

